Flight Lieutenant Tarun Nair (35964) was commissioned as a fighter pilot in the Flying branch of the IAF on 16 Jun 18 and is on the posted strength of a MiG-29 Squadron since 03 Aug 19.
On 12 Mar 24, Flt Lt Tarun Nair was authorized to fly a valley flying sortie as a leader in a MiG-29 aircraft in heavy weight configuration. Immediately after getting airborne, while turning towards the first waypoint, at a low altitude of 1.3 km, Flt Lt Nair encountered multiple failure indications. As the pilot was in the process of taking emergency actions, the situation deteriorated rapidly with the control stick moving to its extreme left and back position resulting in a sharp roll to the left and abrupt pitch up with ‘g’ indicating 12.5 g and Angle of Attack indicating -12° on the displays along with associated audio and visual warnings. The pilot immediately took actions to control the aircraft by overpowering the control stick forces and disengaging the Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS). The situation was most unusual as the indications did not correspond to a failure of a single system. The pilot undertook actions as per SOP however the situation did not improve. During this time, he had to keep the aircraft under control by flying manually while countering heavy forces on control stick and severe oscillations in pitch and roll. The pilot had to counter the heavy forces for over an hour because of the need to consume fuel. In his third attempt at a slow speed check, the minimum controllable speed allowed an approach to be attempted.
Under such a situation, the landing approach management was precarious and posed severe problems in alignment and maintenance of flight path. However, the pilot retained his composure and executed a flawless approach and landing. Upon touchdown, he immediately took actions to safely stop the aircraft and maintain on the runway despite the high landing speed and control problems. The pilot through his watchfulness, superior judgment, skills and composure retrieved a dangerous situation. He prevented loss of a valuable combat asset of the IAF and averted a possible mishap which could have resulted in loss of civilian life and property.
For this act of exceptional courage, very high standard of professionalism and contribution to aerospace safety, Flt Lt Tarun Nair is awarded with ‘Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry)’.
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